Purification Is The Result Of Agitation

It has been said that the farmer sifts his wheat because it is precious to him, and that he doesn’t mean to destroy the grain when he places it in the sieve.  The purpose is purification.

Amos 9:9 tells us that, “‘I will give the command and will shake Israel along with the other nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, yet not one true kernel will be lost.”

Israel shaken.  As grain is shaken through a sieve.

And sometimes don’t you feel as though that’s what’s happening?

I do.

And maybe it’s what we’re feeling now with the happenings in our world.
There’s a sifting taking place.
A winnowing.
A threshing.
Like wheat through a sieve, we’re experiencing a refinement of sorts.
And it’s not necessarily a pleasant ordeal.

Daily, it seems, many of us are encountering trials that seem overwhelming and obstacles that feel impassable.  The external conflicts look to be gravely affecting our inward stability, and as our nation suffers, the hearts of man lie in risk of setback in their spiritual lives.

But when we read it in Amos, we can’t help but see the saving in the sifting.

Charles Spurgeon say that, “Every sifting comes by divine command and permission.”
Nothing happens apart from the command of our God, whose central purpose is for our good.  While satan may hold the sieve, and assume the role of destroyer, what was meant to completely abolish is being used by our good Father to purify, and restore.  By the very means the enemy intended to ravage, our divine Master meant to redeem.

It’s a strange dichotomy.
And might not make sense when it’s happening.
But purification will be the result of agitation.

Spurgeon says this, “The daily temptations are the discoveries of sincerity, the detectives of delusion, the exposers of hypocrisy, and the beacons of wisdom.”
Oh how good is this!
Many are headed for destruction who never know what it’s like to face a trial.
Because it’s in the trial that true character is formed.
It is when we are faced with difficulty that our sincerity in surrender is discovered.
It is those painful experiences that serve as detectives to any deception we are ruled by.
It is through the hardships that any insincerity is exposed.

The sifting, while unpleasant at the time, is necessary.  The sifting of character and conduct is made profitable through the conditions that seem most strenuous and unpalatable.

Personal adversity tries our character as corn is sifted through a sieve.  It is said that we discover what people are “really made of” when faced with any degree of misfortune.

But God is in the business of sifting and separating out the ones who successfully overcome and remain confident in their declaration of victory.

God will chasten… He will place us in a sieve with the purpose of purifying all that is within us that must be sifted out.  And this process requires a level of agitation which, though uncomfortable, is most valuable.

The promise is the saving grace of our Lord and Savior… “yet not one true kernel will be lost.”
“Husks and chaff, being devoid of substance, must fly before the wind, and only solid corn will remain.”  - Spurgeon.

There is complete safety for the Lord’s wheat - even the least grain that demonstrates goodness, has a promise of preservation.

Purification… the process of being made clean, is the result of agitation… conflict and disturbance.  And in the end, the most precious commodity shall remain.

God, purify me.  Strengthen me.  Refine me for Your good work.
May the result of my current conflict serve to disinfect any impurity that separates me from holiness and my godly pursuit.

Feast On What God Is Doing

 

The problem most of the time isn't what's happening to us, but rather how we SEE what is happening to us. It is how we are perceiving it's effect on us that is actually the most damaging to us.

I would see in in the book of Hosea.

Dishonor by the stubborn Israelites.

Divine brokenness.

An unfaithful people.

A nation destroyed by rejection and disobedience.

Severe judgment.

Ahh... but reconciliation.

Beautiful redemption.

We see that even in times of judgement... God is still good. Even in times of chastisement... He is still faithful.

Because the aim of God's judgement is always, always ALWAYS restoration.

God's mercy isn't in opposition to His judgement... mercy is extended THROUGH judgement, not instead of.

Chapter 2, verse 22 says that in the day of the Lord's answer to the cries of help, the people of God will answer, "Jezreel", which means, "God plants!"

And so perhaps it is with us - the Jesus people who are living in the light of His glory and with the knowledge and experience of divine grace - we see Him as the God who plants.

That He is a good Father - even in the midst of what seems ugly and distorted and tragic.

Too often our focus is in the disappointments and not in the dependability of our good God. On the faithfulness of His covenant. On the promises of His provision.

And so the question becomes the most important one I can ever ask - am I feasting myself on that which God is doing? Am I choosing to see, with eyes wide, the good He is establishing through crises and upheaval? Because if I am not feasting on that which He is doing and that which He is saying, I am partnering with a lie and participating in the hopelessness that is counterproductive to my spiritual growth.

We must fuel an atmosphere of anticipation for all we are going to see the Lord do through these trying times. And celebrate His goodness and grace with every fiber of our being.

It matters. It really, really matters!

What Do You See While It's Still Dark?

 

John 20:1 is the beginning of the beautiful story unfolding the resurrection of Jesus. It says this, “Early on Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb of Jesus and found that the stone had been rolled away.”

Oh... the fear this woman must have had! She had just witnessed the beating and the torture and the death of her Savior, Jesus. Firsthand she watched in fear as they carried Him away and buried him in an unmarked grave. But early the next morning – while it was still dark – is key.

In her fear – Mary found a way to be courageous. Getting up early on Sunday morning to complete the burial ritual, she showed her true devotion to Jesus and her trust in the process.

So I ask myself and I ask you today: What do you see while it's still dark? Because that... that determines who you are and what is most important to you. That determines whether you are a courageous follower of Jesus. What you do in the dark determines who you are in the light.

Right now... it is a very dark time in our world.

• Pandemic.
• Racial disparity.
• Economic suffering.
• Police brutality.
• Political upheaval.

And yet our assignment has been made clear.

Decide what matters the most to you and then seek after that with all of your heart, soul, mind, and spirit.

And for us, the Jesus-people, it should be our Jesus Christ.

It's still dark, but Christ is in the light... He IS the light. And IN HIM no darkness exists.

We can choose to SEE even in the midst of darkness.

I ask again... What do you see while it's still dark?

We say, “God – this is impossible!” And God says, “Awesome! I didn't have to show up and you didn't need me when it was possible!”

Divine Purpose In Advertisty

Isaiah 22.
It’s a book that will have you trembling when you read it.
And likely crying for the people of Jerusalem.
And America.
Because things aren’t much different today.

And I would stop in my tracks 2 verses in:
“What is happening?  Why is everyone running to the rooftops?  The whole city is in a terrible uproar.  What do I see in this reveling city?  Bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease.”

I stopped there.
I didn’t need to go any further.
The message concerning Jerusalem - the Valley of Vision - is for us today, too.
And what stood out to me the most was that one sentence… and it keeps me awake at night… “bodies are lying everywhere, killed not in battle but by famine and disease.”

Those who had perished had not died fighting bravely in battle… but by the pestilence… by epidemic illness.

Famine and disease.
Famine for following God.
Disease plagued by fear and disheartened souls.

And we can talk about a good God who wouldn’t assign pain and suffering on His people like that.  And still read the prophets words found in verse 5, “What a day of confusion and terror brought by the Lord… upon the Valley of Vision.”  And through it all we can agree that He, too, is a sovereign God who’s great purpose in our pain is for repentance that leads to restoration.

And I would say it to a classroom filled with bible study students on a Friday night in February before news of an outbreak with pandemic tendencies would even surface… “It’s mystery… but we can embrace the mystery, because all is an invitation.”

Here, even, we see God, in His wisdom and in His grace, give the invitation to repentance in light of dangerous and deadly circumstances.  Ahh… this is always the way of Divine intervention… always the Divine purpose in adversity.  My commentary would say it this way: “God seeks our spiritual amendment.”

Amendment means this = a change made by correction, addition, or deletion; an improvement.

God leads us to repentance that leads to restoration and life.
And some times there’s an application of pressure that must be placed upon the people in order to open minds and transform hearts.

My commentary says this, “He lays His hand upon us so that we must feel His touch; He speaks to us in tones it is difficult to disregard; and we know that the thing from which He calls us is sin; we also know the thing to which He summons us is rectitude - rightness of heart and life.”

Ahh… yes.  Affliction and heartbreak and yes, even pandemic, racial disparity, economic suffering, police brutality, and political upheaval, can produce the very opposite result than for that which it was originally sent.  What God intended for good, we can so oftentimes allow to make us more bitter, angry, resentful, and distant.  Many professing Christians, even, allow adversity to drive them to absolute ruin, as they stand in complete contradiction to the resurrection power Christ died for us to possess.  Trials manufactured by the Lord for our spiritual advancement all too often harden our hearts and enslave us by means of disappointment for how we “thought things should be.”

We have been given an opportunity to return to Him, repent for our sinful ways, and be fully restored to Him… Jesus, crucified.

God help us.
God lead us to repentance that ultimately restores us to You.

Richer Grace

 

 

Maybe someone else needs to hear this today.

That trial you're in is painful.

You've been called to traverse a most difficult path.

But like Joshua, who was called to lead following the death of one of the greats, was equipped by God to do the seemingly impossible task.

And because the Lord was with him, he could not fail.

If you and I are going to do anything for God we are going to meet with harsh weather, challenging circumstances, and unfortunate conflict.

But know this... if we are going to meet with sterner trials... difficult tasks, uncomfortable situations, and dangerous testing... we will receive richer grace.

1 Timothy 1:14, "The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."

2 Corinthians 9:9, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you..."

Walk The Same Path

Jesus says it when He calls Matthew (Levi), the tax collector, to be His student.  “Follow Me and be My disciple” He tells him.  And the Word tells us that he got up and followed him.

Because there was just something about Jesus.

The amplified version says it like this, “Follow Me [as My disciple, accepting Me as your Master and Teacher and walking the same path of life that I walk.]”

The Kenneth Wurest translation says that Jesus said this, “Start following with Me as My disciple and consider it a permanent appointment.”

When Jesus called Matthew, it wasn’t a classroom He was inviting Him into, it was an encounter He was welcoming Him to experience.  He was saying: “Follow, observe, learn My ways.  Learn what it’s like to be around me, and it will be in the walking the path I’m walking that you will be like Me.”

May my continual aim be to walk the same path Jesus walked, so I can feel by encounter, and know by experience what it’s like to go where He did and do what He did.

Progress Is Made By Fixing Your Gaze Upon Jesus

It was in the closing up of the chapter before it that lead Jesus to say the words He did here.

He had just finished telling His disciples that an Advocate would be coming to them who would help them in the His absence.  He was warning them that even though troubles were up ahead, they would not endure without a resource, and with those words He implores them to remember His teaching when He was no longer able to be with them in person.

John 16:5-6 says this, “But now I am going away to the One who sent Me, and not one of you is asking where I am going.  Instead, you grieve because of what I have told you.”

Not one of them seemed concerned for what was really happening.
And their concentration seemed to be on the words of loss instead of gain.
The announcement of a coming Advocate was supposed to bring them peace and comfort.

But their fixation was on the wrong thing.

My commentary says this, “Nothing more hinders our joy in God, than the love of the world, and the sorrow of the world which comes from it.”

The perception of these students, who had often exhibited misunderstanding and mistaken impressions, was very limited and their response to His news was very inadequate.

He was giving His students an opportunity to trust Him at the close of a three-year mentorship season, but they were conscious only of their lack, their weakness, and their utter dependence.  Absorbed by their own grief, they were prevented by their despair to inquire further into the reasoning for their Lord’s departure.

If the disciples would have taken the right precautions, they might not have sank back into their own condition of weariness and misfortune.  If they would have shifted their priority of thought, if they would have traced back over His miracles of mercy, if they would have reflected upon His promises, and if they would have asked for divine revelations, they would have forgotten their personal misery and received proper strength from on high.  They would have understood the plan and realized the victory that lie just up ahead for them - the Jesus people.

My commentary says this, “Experience has shown that it is a most dangerous practice to direct thought too much inwardly upon our own sorrows and perplexities, or even upon our joys and comforts.”   Indeed, spiritual progress is made by fixing our gaze upon the One who loved us enough not to leave us without something even better.

The entire purpose of telling His learners all of this was, “so that {they} will not fall away.”  (John 16:1)  There could be no progression forward in doubt.  And in His kindness He offers them a part of Him in the form of the Spirit and says, “The only way you will ever gain victory over the temptation of regression is to reflect on that which I am now telling you.”

The word reflect means this = to remember, to cast light upon, to show an image of.

We must cast light upon that which He has said, hold tightly to it, and allow it to be the filter through which we see all of worldly concerns, challenges, and unfortunate circumstances.

He has warned us throughout His word that troubles will come.  Disappointments will try to overshadow promises.  Discouragement will attempt to cloud our heavenly aim.  Mistrust will endeavor to dominate our frame of mind.

If these.. the friends of Jesus… would have savored His Spirit when they walked with Him all those years, then they would have realized the irrationality of their perplexity when He left them.  Because that which was coming ahead was a gift not promised to just anyone.

And if you belong to Jesus… if you have Him as your personal Lord and Savior… you, too, enjoin in this promise.  You have the Advocate as a divine replacement for Presence this side of eternity.  With Him, you have no fear in absence.

He is our Help in time of trouble.  We are simply focused on the wrong things.  It’s time to recalibrate our vision.

Every Place The Sole Of Your Foot Treads

Joshua 1:3 is powerful and it’s a verse I have been working through for years now.
It says this, in the NLT, "I promise you what I promised Moses: Wherever you set foot you will be on land I have given you."

A promise.
Where we set foot, it will be land He has given.

But "set foot" is different from how some of the translations read.
"Set foot" simply seems like "walking" to me.
Like - "You go on and it will be the land I am giving you."

But take a look at it in different translations:
"place you sole."
"every place the sole of your foot treads."
"every place the sole of your feet WILL tread."
"wherever you go."
"the land you WILL be MARCHING over."
"every place your foot falls."
"every spot you tread."
"every square inch your feet tread."

WOW.
There’s a difference!

This means - action.

Some of these say where I WILL PLACE MY FEET is the land He has promised.
This is not only a future promise, but it is one that requires action from me. A co-laboring.

I must PLACE my feet upon the land first.
I must MARCH over it.
And then every square inch of my action steps will be blessed by His promise of possession!

So becomes the question - What are some way we can “place our soles” upon the land He has given?
And some come to mind:
Obedience.
Immediately do what He says. This means giving Him our “yes” before we even know the question. When we sense in our spirit God is asking us to do something - we go! We don’t wait. We don't hold a prayer meeting about it. We don’t over complicate it by the ways we think. We just go. Many times throughout the bible we see people who acted “immediately.” Thinking even of the disciples who did this - they gave their “sold out yes” to Jesus without often fully understanding the implications. All because they knew that with Him they couldn’t fail.

Being proactive in our pursuit of Him.
Not waiting for someone “to pick us up out of our pit and into the water” similar to the man at Bethesda - who waited along the pool for someone to pick him up and place him in to find healing. We have to actively engage in what He’s trying to accomplish. Sometimes I think we rely too heavily on others to teach us, lead us, take us where we need to go. We wait for a Sunday morning sermon to find inspiration. Young people ride on the coattails of their parents’ faith thinking it will somehow translate to great personal faith in them, when it has to come from hard work of their own. It’s not a striving, but there is a responsibility and we have a duty to pursue Him for ourselves.

Being a leader and taking risks in faith.
Stepping out in faith. Trusting Him for the outcome. Relying ALL on Him for everything, but taking risks. For instance, I feel as though I have been practicing hearing from God for years. Sometimes I have been right and others times I have misunderstood what was being asked of me. Sometimes I have operated in strong faith, other times I have operated from a place of total weakness. But I have been willing. Willing to take risks in standing for God and my beliefs. Risks in looking silly in front of people who might not understand. Risks in selling out all for Jesus regardless of who comes along.

He has so much for us… the land of promise… but we will get only as much as we are willing to fight for, engage with, and take risks for.

Stay. Wait. Then Go.

Many of us have misinterpreted the final words of Jesus here on this earth. 

For some reason, and maybe because it fits our need of an assignment of a practical position and direct duty, we think Jesus’ final words before His departure and ascension to heaven following His crucifixion and subsequent resurrection, were “go.”

We read it at the end of Matthew’s Gospel in chapter 28, verse 19, “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”  He even continues a bit in verse 20 by saying, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you.”

And so much of our focus in on the “go.”
So much emphasis is placed upon the action steps… the moving forward.

But it wasn’t His last words.
“Go” was not the final command given to the students… the sons… the friends of Jesus Christ.

Take a look at Luke’s Gospel.  He’s known for giving more texture and exposing more details than the other Gospel books in our bible.
Luke 24:49 says this, “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father promised.  But STAY here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
We see it again in Acts, chapter 1. 
Jesus says, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before.”  (referring to Luke 24:49 and John 16:26)

Ahh… and so have we confused the final instruction?

We say it’s “go”… but perhaps it’s “stay” and “wait.”

I envision the anxiousness of the disciples who had long misunderstood the Savior’s coming.  Just imagine the confusion He initiated with His answers of love to the issues of hate, His promise of persecution, and His order for restoration absent of retaliation.  They were expecting a punisher, and they got a Peacemaker.  They were looking for a warhorse and they got a Lamb.

And here… when they were most enthusiastic about service and eager to do the work in which they had been assigned… they were met with the task to stay. 

We have been given authority from on high.  This is without question.
The great commission remains intact: Go and make disciples.
But we cannot “go” until we first “stay” and “wait.”

The “go”, while essential and of the utmost necessity for Kingdom growth, must take a backseat to “staying” and “waiting.”
It is the “stay” and the “wait” that prepares us.

In Luke, chapter 9, we see Jesus giving His disciples authority and power, but here and now… at the closing up of His life on earth… He is giving them something they would need without the company of King Jesus by their side.

I can only consider what kind of difficulty it was for the friends of Jesus who had walked His missionary journey with Him for three and a half years to hear Him say, “It’s better for you that I go.”  (John 16:7)  It was completely opposite of what you might expect to hear from the one you were seeking to emulate.  The one you were learning everything you could from in order to continue His work upon his departure.

In our over-zealousness and our anxiousness to “go”, we miss the imperative requirement to “stay.”  We miss the crucial component of preparedness.  And in our haste, we supremely suppress our spiritual advancement, and dangerously misrepresent Jesus at the same time.

We have been given power from on high and we have been left with the gift of resurrection strength from our Jesus, but before we are equipped to “go”, we must take heed to “stay.”
The entire point of the “waiting” is that there’s something more.

The “go” - as important as it is, cannot be successfully executed until we “stay” and “wait” for the Holy Spirit to do the work in us that is necessary if we want to accurately display Jesus in the land of the living.

I know we’re so fixated on the “go.” 
And for good reason.
It’s fundamental to our Christian faith.
But what would it look like if before we went, we stayed?
What would it look like if instead of rushing out to speak our minds, and voice our opinions, and condemn sin in other people, we stayed and waited on the Holy Spirit to fill us with love that tears down barriers, mercy that goes the extra mile, forgiveness that restores nations, and peace that offers hope.

Our “go” might just be dependent on how long we “stay” and “wait” for the One who is outside of time and works all things out according to our good and His glory!

Stay.  Wait.  And then go.

Asking The Wrong Question

Maybe we’re asking the wrong question.

The disciples did.

Privy to His wondrous work and His miraculous ways, the men who had been with Jesus, learned from Jesus, and walked with Jesus, still misunderstood Him.

John 9, verses 1-2.  “As Jesus was walking along, He saw a man who had been blind from birth.  ‘Rabbi,’ His disciples asked Him, ‘why was this man born blind?  Was it because of his own sins or His parents’ sins?’

It was the wrong question.
The focus was on the wrong thing.

Because sometimes, in a world gone completely mad, we aim for reasoning and rationale.
In a world filled with hate and distrust we become all-consumed with placing blame and pointing fingers.
Someone’s gotta be held responsible, after all.  This… must be somebody’s fault.

But could it be that our perspective simply needs adjusting.
Could it be that too much emphasis is being placed on fitting the perceived offensive misconduct of others, into our narrow-minded box we mislabel ‘justice?’
Because finding blame and insisting upon retaliation is a mindset that robs of our joy, destroys our peace, and makes His sacrifice all in vain.
That hate - He died for that.
That retribution - He died for that.
That vengeance - He died for that.

His men - they asked the wrong question.
And maybe we do too.
I am too.

Because Jesus answers in a way that was likely least expected.
Verse 3, “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins.  This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.”
Some versions say, "so that the WORKS of God could be displayed in him."

Tens words.
And I must play them on repeat in my head.
The actions from my hands.
They must become my response to all the hurt.
The things that don’t make sense.

“This happened SO THE POWER OF GOD COULD BE SEEN IN HIM.”

His power displayed in the world and on the earth is up to me.  It’s up to you.  Us… the Jesus people.

He longs to use human agencies to display His love… His mercy… His power here in the world.  And so becomes the question… the right question… we must ask.
“When they see me, do they see Him?

Is the power of God witnessed by others?
In the way I love.
In the way I serve.
In the way I give.
In the way I share.
In the way I behave in situations I cannot understand.

It matters.

We’ve been asking the wrong question.

Oh, God, help us get it right.
Re-shift our mindset.

This happened… all of it… yes, and even that… so that the power of God could be seen in us!

God Whispers

We can’t always know the way the Lord is going to work.
Sometimes He orders us to stillness.
Sometimes He commands us to move forward without hesitation or delay.

But one thing, I believe, remains the same: He works in ways that propel us into relationship with Him.

Elijah discovered this truth in a cave.
Just after his successful defeat at Mount Carmel, and just following the fulfillment of God’s beautiful provision after a three-year drought, Elijah is found running for his life from the King’s wife, who was seeking to have him killed.

Just when Elijah thought he may have God figured out… just when he thought he understood the way He worked, the prophet is filled with discouragement and dismay, and finds himself fleeing from his post of duty which involved a greater level of danger than he might have expected.

1 Kings 18:11-13 gives us the story.
As Elijah stands at the mountain, the Lord passes by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain.
Scripture says it was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose.
“But the Lord was not in the wind.” (vs 11)
After that, there was an earthquake that contained a massive amount of fire.
“But the Lord was not in the fire.” (vs 12)
Ahh.. but after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.
And, “When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.” (vs 13)

Because there’s something commanding when the Lord whispers.
There’s something uniquely and divinely inviting when He speaks in a tone that demands an attentive ear to discern.

And the truth really is that we can’t always know His ways, but we can trust His character.  And He is a God who longs for intimacy with His children.

In times of uncertainty, it behooves us to trust in the One who still has the whole world in the palm of His hand.  And to remain steadfast and immovable in our faith in a God who calls us by name, and gently whispers to us, reminding us of His everlasting love.

God whispers because He wants us to lean in.

Flow Living Water

Because when you’re constantly on the lookout for Jesus, you can find Him almost everywhere you turn.

And so it was for this wandering pursuer of Jesus on a warm day in early June.  And it was in the cleaning of my kitchen of all things.

I had turned on the water and was cleaning my sink from all of the afternoon dishes.  Reaching for the hand wand to get a good spray of the portion of the sink I couldn’t quite hit with the faucet, I was surprised that no water came through.

Ahh.. and then I realized it was because the main water source had been set to the off position.  I had inadvertently turned off the main faucet, so naturally no water flowed from the hand wand.

It’s a silly analogy I admit, but one that resonated with this weary soul who needed to be reminded of God’s life source to the ones He calls His friends.  The ones He never leaves of forsakes.

And looking at that tiny wand who’s water source had been restricted, made me think about my life source, and the water I so desperately need flowing in me and through me.

And when my main supply is turned off, I suffer drought and dehydration.
When my connection to the source of living water is severed, I experience a parching unquenchable by any human effort.

Staying connected to the Father allows for His Spirit to flow in and through me, that I might never lack all that I need to experience the life in full He intended for me to have.

John 7:38 tells us the words of Jesus this way in the Passion Translation, “Believe in Me so that rivers of living water will burst out from within you, flowing from your innermost being, just like the scripture says!”

Oh my prayer - flow through me, Holy Spirit, so that I can pour out to others.
Flow through me so I can feel the strength of Your Spirit that washes over these dry bones of mine.

There!

I would see it there in my bible as though it were highlighted just for me.
Because the truth really is that some days are harder than others.
And when the words are few from human agencies, the Word serves as a salve to the soul.

Isaiah 35.
And I dissect the words.
And slowly, so my heart can feel them.

“Even the wilderness and desert will be glad in those days.
The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with spring crocuses.
Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon,
as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of Sharon.
There the Lord will display his glory,
the splendor of our God.
With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands,
and encourage those who have weak knees.”

Oh and can’t we all use this encouragement today.. now.. more than ever?

Even in the wilderness and desert… yes, Lord, that’s where we’re at.
And even here, in the wasteland, we can rejoice.
Because even here is an abundance of flowers and singing and joy.
THERE… HERE… He will display His glory.
There where you are… here where I am.
He meets us in our mess.
He comes to us with willingness in His rescue for the ones He calls His own.
And there… in the midst of it all will be His glory and His splendor.
And with THIS news… the news of His goodness and grace… we have the fortitude to strengthen others who, too, have tired hands and weak knees.
Because the greatest profit of our pain is preparation for all He has next.
The greatest privilege of our participation of challenges is holding one another up.

And so I lift my weary, tired, despondent heart on a Thursday morning and I say.. HERE the Lord will display His glory.  Yes - even here - the splendor of God!  And with this news… THIS Good News that was never meant to be kept a secret… I will strengthen those with tired hands from the toil, and encourage those who’s knees are weak from the walk.

The Prisoners Are Listening

It would be impossible to think that a story of suffering could bring such inspiration.  But sometimes lessons of strength and bravery are only rightly observed and accurately understood in hindsight. 

Pausing to look back should serve only to propel us forward, and it does so here in the case of Paul and Silas.  Oh especially now!

Paul and Silas are observed as having just commanded a demon to come out of a fortune teller woman who was quite successful at earning a significant income for her masters.  Upon her pleadings of her belief in their God’s ability to save, Paul’s command is satisfied, and scripture tells us that, “instantly it left her.”  (16:18b)

Her masters, notably upset, grab the men, drag them before the authorities, and demand something be done.

A mob forms, Paul and Silas are stripped and beaten, and subsequently thrown in prison.

As to not escape, the newly accused prisoners are put into the “inner dungeon” with their feet bound by shackles.

And then we see it.  Verse 25 brings me to tears every time.  “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.”

Wait.

They were singing?

I thought they were in prison?
I thought they were shackled by chains?
I thought they were wrongly accused and severely mistreated?
I thought they were in the darkness of a dirty, scary dungeon?

They were.

And yet they were found, in the darkest hour of the night… praying and singing.

But there’s something else that catches my eye.  In the middle of my own painful wrestling I would see it almost as if I’ve never read it before.  The rest of verse 25… “Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.”

The Passion translates it best by using one word that captures it all so perfectly.  It says this, “Paul and Silas, undaunted, prayed in the middle of the night and sang songs of praise to God, while all the other prisoners listened to their worship.”

Undaunted. 
It means this = un-dismayed, not discouraged, not forced to abandon purpose and effort, undiminished in courage or valor, not giving way to fear, steadfast.

In the middle of their own despair, discouragement, and inhumane suffering, we find these two men boldly embodying the strength of their Savior, and supernaturally reversing the intended mission of hell itself.

They undauntedly used worship as warfare.
And the prisoners were observing from their cells.

And not only that - but moments later we read the result of their praise.
“Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to it's foundations.  All the doors immediately flew open and the chains of every prisoner fell off!”  (verse 26)

Praise was the pathway to their release.
And not just so for Paul and Silas.. but “every prisoner.”
All of the prisoners benefited from the worship of two Christ followers who refused to give attention to the work of the enemy.
All of the prisoners were set free from the praises of the Jesus people who determined to live undiscouraged by circumstances, undiminished in courage and strength, and un-moved by the ugliness of injustice and the brutality of ignorance. 

They never abandoned their purpose and effort.

And I wonder… because in this time we’re all asking, “What is my role?”  “What can I do?”  “How can I raise awareness and say something that matters?”
And I say this, “Remember the ones who have gone before.  Reflect upon the story of Paul and Silas.  Watch how they behaved in matters of ultimate cruelty, and then copy the patterns of their praise.”

Sing.
Pray and sing.
Undauntingly.
Unapologetically.
Pray without ceasing.
Sing loud.

The world is watching.
And they’re learning more about Jesus from your praise than they ever will learn about Him from a world focused on the maddening disposition of the enemy seeking always to steal, kill, and destroy.

What are you focused on?
Worship is our pathway to the throne room of God.
And it invites others along with it.

The prisoners are listening… what do they hear?

Recognize, Respond, and Rush!

In a global pandemic it’s sometimes difficult to recognize Jesus.
Throw into the mix racial injustice, brutality, and demonized outrage, and it’s hard to breathe as we search for the face of God.

We ask questions like, “Where is He?”  “Has He forsook us?” 
We, like the ones inside the boat who knew Him best, find ourselves questioning Him too, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?” (Mark 4:38)

And when I turn to the Word I come looking for someone I can relate to.  Someone who knows burden and carries it well.  Someone who, despite odds, remains immovable in their intensity… passionate in their pursuit.

John 21 tells the story of Jesus appearing, again, to His disciples after His resurrection.

Several of them were together when Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.” (vs 3)
“We’ll come too.” they all said. (vs 4)
So they went went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach but the disciples couldn’t see who He was.
He called out to them, “Have you caught any fish?” (vs 5)
“No” was their reply.
He tells them to throw their net on to the right side of the boat, and then they would catch some.
And when they did, they caught so many that they couldn’t even haul in the net. (vs 6)

John 21:7 says this, “Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It’s the Lord!’  When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord he put on his tunic, jumped into the water, and headed to shore.”

I  chuckle at the following verse that says, “The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore.”

In His passion and zeal, we see eager Peter take the plunge into he water to swim to His Savior.  Nothing else mattered.
He had his sights on Jesus and He went for Him.
We see no reservation, and aside from taking the time to put his shirt back on, we see Peter exhibit absolutely zero hesitation in his chase for Christ.
He took the risk.
Regardless of what other people were doing.
Regardless of what other people were saying.
And He acted upon immediate impulse of love for the One He called friend.

And I wonder what it is that keeps us from recognizing Jesus.
Maybe it’s misunderstanding of His character and His purpose.
Maybe it’s unbelief developed in the heart of doubt and uncertainty.
Maybe it’s discouragement… because this isn’t the way you thought it might look.
Maybe it’s a mind preoccupied with our own distress and troubles.

I would say it like Abraham, almost on repeat, for the past ten years of my life… “Surely the Lord is in this place and I wasn't even aware of it!”  (Gen 28:16)
And yet how is it possible that I miss Him so often?

John recognized Jesus.
We don’t know how long it was until his blurred vision was made clear, but we know that he was the one who recognized Him as the One they had walked with, talked with, and learned from. 
John’s senses were heightened because of his history with Jesus and his nearness to His form.
John knew it by the authoritative way He spoke.  My commentary says that the “true disciples recognize that royal tone.”
John knew it by the language of sympathy and love in which He spoke.  Jesus appeared to them in the scene they were most familiar with, and sympathized with their current condition.
John knew it by the provision Jesus made for them, His closest friends.

And there’s something so glorious about the words we hear John speak… “It is Jesus!”
It was the cry of faith… the cry of obedience.. and the cry of submission.
“It’s the Lord!”

And I wonder if we can be so bold to see Him in the midst of heartache and pain.
To see Him when we read the headlines of more loss and the furthering of devastation. 
“It’s the Lord!”
To recognize the voice of the One who never left… who’s been there all along… even when we failed to take notice.
“It’s the Lord!”

And then I wonder if we, like Peter, can set aside everything to rush to be where He is.

Psalm 91:1 in The Passion Translation says this, “When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai, you are hidden in the strength of the Most High.”

The truth is, you may now be in the shadow… and it may feel all-consuming and you may feel as though you’re suffocating… but even in the dark place is a testimony to His nearness.  Even in the shadow, you are made safe by His strength.

May we be like John - the one who recognized Jesus.
May we be like the disciples - the ones who responded to Jesus.
And may we be like Peter - the one who rushed to be where Jesus was.

May it be that nothing else matters but recognizing Jesus in all things and then rushing to be with Him.

Stop Thoughts At The Gate Of Action

I have been wrestling through the idea now for weeks.
In the middle of a crisis… and now maybe more than any other time in the history of my life… this has been a subject more relevant than any.
And that’s keeping a clean environment.
In a world gone mad, I must keep “clean” the environment of my temple, of my house, of my home.

And for a few months now my focus has been on words and actions.  But I wonder, too, if I must spend time on thoughts as well.

Second Corinthians 10:5 says this, “We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God.  We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.”  I love the way The Passion Translation says it, “We capture, like prisoners of war, every thought and insist that it bow in obedience to the Anointed One.”

We, you and I, have been assigned to keep ourselves outwardly and inwardly pure.  My commentary says, “What we do from the impulse of the moment, depends on the state of our minds and this again depends, for the most part, on what we have chosen to make it, or allow it to become.”

The word impulse means this = sudden, involuntary inclination promoting to action, instinctual urge.

It is so important that we keep vigilant guard over the impulses of a moment.

It has been said that, “thoughts are the seeds of conduct”, but it’s more than that!  They are seeds that have begun to germinate underground.  They are seeds that have begun their development of natural properties that become our natural tendencies… our natural “bent” toward external circumstances.

I was so encouraged when I received a message from friend the other day that said, “I start getting upset and then start to pray!”
For her, it’s become this “check point” of her thoughts and a compelling them into submission to the heart of the Father.

And that’s it, really.  It is managing well our thought life so we are not rattled by disappointment, shaken by devastation, and tempted by evil.

The inclination of our nature must be subject to regulation.  To “regulate” means to adjust, arrange, govern, manage, supervise, guide, and direct.

We are not to be controlled and manipulated by our thoughts.  We are to adjust where necessary, manage our minds, and re-direct our consciousness to Jesus.

And the supervision of our thoughts is more than prevention of “negative” thoughts.  We must expel bad thoughts by the preference we give to good ones. 
On my front porch I have this beautiful antique ironstone crock that is positioned perfectly to house a large pot of flowers or greenery inside of it.  This past winter I used it to display a lighted Christmas tree, but now it sits empty as it waits for what it can be in this next season.

Sitting empty isn’t bad, but it doesn’t serve as a benefit.  It must be filled with something of beauty in order to properly and effectively adorn my home.

And so it is with my life.
In order to be a benefit… in order to adorn my earthly “tent” with the beauty of heaven, I must choose good thoughts over bad ones.  I must replace evil with good.  I must insist on managing well the seeds of my thought life in order to communicate effectively the life-changing, miracle-working God I serve and love.

I must carefully capture my contemplation before my critical conduct is affected.